Latch



Nov. 27, 1923.

1,475,692 s. D. FARMER LATCH led April 29. 1922 Patented Nov. 27, 1923.

PATENT OFFHCE.

SILAS D. FARMER, OF HERRIN, ILLINOIS.

IJATCH.

Application filed April 29. 1922. Serial No. 557,463.

latch bolt when the object or member on` which the latch is used is moved to its closed position.

`The disadvantage of latches such as used on refrigerator doors, doors of automobles, and the like, is that if the latch or main spring is made strong enough, so as to hold the door tight and prevent rattling when the door is in its latched position, it prevents the bolt from automatically engaging the keeper When the door is moved to its closed position. On the other hand; if the spring is made weak enough to permit the bolt to climb upon or engage the keeper auto lnatically, it is not sufficient to properly hold the door in its closed position.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the invention to provide a latch Wherein a relatively strong main spring is used for actuating the latch bolt, the latch bolt being maintained in its retracted position during closing movement of the member supporting the latch, means being provided and controlled by a relatively weak spring for releasing the latch bolt upon contact of said means with a keeper.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a latch of this character wherein a sustantially wedge shaped latch bolt is pro Vided, having a relatively strong spring for urging the bolt in engagement with the keeper, the movement of said bolt being limited only by the keeper, so that a wedg ing action is produced, which prevents rattling or accidental opening of the door.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more particularly described fully claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a latch constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the front of the latch casing being removed, showing the latch in its latched position;

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of the cover of the latch removed, showing the latch in its unlatched position;

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1; and

Figure l is a sectional plan view Showing the latch applied to a door with knobs on both sides of the casing;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the latch bolt.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a latch casing consisting of a plate having three of its edges turned upwardly to pro- Vide casing flanges, the end portion 6 of the casing being open. Mounted within the casing is a latch bolt 7, said bolt having a hub member 8 in one end portion thereof, said hub member eXtending on both sides of the latch bolt and having a Square bore. One of the projecting portions of the hub extends through an opening 9 provided in the casing. Projecting from one side of the bolt is an extension lO'which serves as the latching portion of the bolt, or that portion adapted to engage the keeper, the eXtremity 11 of the bolt and the adjacent face 12 of the extension being curved substantially in the same plane.

The extension 12 has its face 13 thereof tapered, said tapered portion coopera ting with the curved face 12 and the Opposite face 14 of the extension to provide a wedge. The extension 10 is provided with a recess '1.5. said recess being disposed at the junction of the extension with the end portion of th'e bolt; The side or face 14 of the extension is disposed substantially at right angles to the hub member 8 to permit the bolt to readily engage the keeper.

A leaf spring l6 is disposed within the casing, Said Spring being bent at its central portion and engaged with' a pin or screW 17 Which entende` through the casing. The arm -CoYer and Ca, ug,

S of the spring is adapted to engage one end of the oasing. Wh ile the Opposite arm 19 is edapted to engag'e the side of the bolt remote from the extension lO, the spring bein sprung' outwardly so as to constantly ur e ehe bol't `h'ou ll the open end 6 of the' casinr. This spring' .is relatively strong', so that When ir its latched position the belt Wiil preveni ratilin or accidental opening of the door. in order to permit automatic operation of the bolt T, regardless of the use of the spring there is provided a novel (rii le-Vor 20 said lever having an opening; 21 in one end thereo adepted o receive a piyot piu l. Uue ion c'itudi'na l edg'e of `the pin is Cut away as a t 22`aud 23 to provide a. tumbler lug said tumbler log' bein sdented to enter the reeess l of the bolt '(1 the recess be .og Considerably longer than the tiunbler lug. V

t Will be noted that the ?lli away portions 22 and aeent the extension are Cur ed so as to` conform to the curva ture of the t aees 11 and 12 of the bolt. The end portion 25 of' the trip level' projects beyond the Open end 6 of the Casing and is constant-ly niaiitained in its projeeted position. The lGVGl' 20 is urged into engagement With the belt 'T through the medium of a Spring 26, the end 2? of the spring being coiled and adap ted :to engag'e a pin 28 carried by the oasing. The opposite end portion is eX- tended in angular relation and adapted to engage the onposite longitudinal edge of the i ip lei er 20 directly onposite the tumbler lug 24. so that the tumbler is urged toward the boit.

A Cover 29 is provided for the Casing havin openings corresponding to the pivo t pinsoarried by the Casing 5 and also i relatively large bearing One-ning' 'for the rev ep tion ol the adjacent hub portion of the bolt. i i? the latch is to be used in connection With .i iqerator r iee box, a latoh Bhatt 29 havu a handle of any desired Sha pe on e d is er 'ied by the letch the Sh eX- tendinfthro h the hub of the bolt in any iVheu the device is used xith an automobile door or n', the shaftis eXtend d enirough the huh and secured by use of JL" The portion of' the shaft X` ieuklin through 'the hub is of course, squ rcd and lr er than 'the portion of the sh` extendinq through the openins in the so that accidental disengagelnent of the handle is preventefh and removal an only be acco-iuplished by removin" the Cover 29.

in connection With the latch, a novel keeper 30 is pro'v'ided said leeper Consis ing; GI a strip of material having itsend portion l inciined to' a point beyond the center ei the strp and `then eXtended ab rupty upwa rdly and inwardly to provlde. a

eam face 32, the eXtremit-y of the cam face 32 being forrned into PL toot. An opening is provided in the foot and the op posite end portion 31 of the strip for the reception of the fastening means.

In the' application of the la toh, the leeper is' positioned so that the cam 'face 32 Will be disposed in the path of movement of' the projeot-ing end' of the trip ievei the in olined portion of the end portion 31 Cooperating With the door ja nib 'post or objeot to Which it isconnected to provide a` Wedge sha ned Conip' tinent adap ted to receive the \Yede shapcd portion of the bolt b When the atch in' its lathing condi tion the extension 10, as aboi'e described, is engag d With the inner face of the in- Clined portion 31 of the keeper. the end portion 25 of 'the trip level" being` disposed in engaement With the outer face of the cam 'face 32'. In this position the Week Spring 26 of the trip le Ver is' ooinpr essed' and the tumbier lug 24 engagedwith the fare 11 of the bolt thereby liold inthe trin level' substantially in spaedrelatiou to the cam face 82.

To release the lateh, the Bhatt 29 is rotated so 'as to swing-the bolt 7 inWerdly of the. Casin, Whereupon the spring 26 urges :the tumbler lug 24: intoth e recess 15 of the bolt, thereby holding the bolt in its r seted position Whereupon the door may be readily opened. The bolt by thisneans is in ain'tain'ed in its re tracfted position indefinitely, or in other words, until the trip 1a-,

Ver 20 isbpreted,

The operation of the belt 7, as neli as the Operation of the trip leyer 20, is automatic. and is accomplished by the projeoting end portion 25 of the trip lever strilzing the face 3261 the keeper. This moyes the trip ieVer away from the bolt, dise nraging the tumbler ]ug 24 from the rcess and perinittingthe spring 16 to urge the bolt into the keepr.

From the foreg'o ing it Will be rendily seen that this' in 'ention,provides a novel orin of latoh Which will operate automatieally without fail upon mo ye ment of the lateh toward the l ee per inyie w of the provision of springs of' Various strengths-cthe Utility of the latch being unliniterh All of these features are p 'ossessed bya device that is composed of only si parts, whioh can be produeed in large:quantities :from a Small aino of material.

What is claimed is`:- i

l. An automatic closure latch including spring projeeted belt, s keeper embodying a fixed sidemeinberha ing an inclined eX- ternal side faee said keeperfurther having an open'inner end intowhieh .Said bolt is adpted to be projeeted-\i hn-the Closure shu t, manuallyoperable meens for ret-rabtingsaid belt from said keeper. a spring actuated looking ]ever adapted to engage said bolt to hold the latter retracted, said looking lever and' Said bolt being movable in a general direction at right angles to the direction in which the closure moves when being opened or closed, said ]ever project ing beyond the outer end of the latch in the direction of the keeper, and means on the bolt for holding the level: released from the bolt when the latter is 'projccted into the keeper, whereby the bolt may be freely retracted without manipulation of said lever Said inclined external side face of the keeper acting as a fixed oblique guiding face engaged by the free end of the looking ]ever for automatically releasing the latter from the bolt when the closure is shut.

2. An automatic closure latch including a spring projeoted bolt, a keeper embodying a fixed side member having an inclined externa] side face, said keeper further having an open inner end into which said bolt is adapted to be projected when the closure is shut. manuallv operable means for retracting Said bolt from said keeper, a spring actuated looking ]ever adapted to engage said bolt to hold the latter retracted, said looking ]ever and said bolt being movable in a general direction at right angles to the direction in which the closure moves when being opened or closed, said ]ever projecting beyond the outer end of the latch in the direction of the keeper, and means on the bolt for holding the ]ever released from the bolt When the latter is projected into the keeper, whereby the bolt may be freely retraoted Without manipulation of said lever, said inclined eX- ternal side face of the keeper acting as a fiXed Oblique guiding face engaged by the free end of the looking ]ever for automatically releasing the latter from the bolt When the closure is shut, Said bolt being pivoted for swinging movement and having the side face of its keeper-engaging portion beveled to form a wedge tapering smaller in the direction in which the bolt moves to engage the keeper, said keeper having an internal side face inclined in the latter direction and cooperating with the beveled side face of the bolt to wedge the closure in the direction of its closing movement for preventing rattling of the latter when shut.

3. An automatic closure ]atch including a spring projected bolt, a keeper embodying a fixed side member having an inclined eX ternal side face, said keeper further having an open inner end int-o which said bolt is adapted to be projected when the closure is shut, manually operable means for retracting said bolt from said keeper, a spring aotuated looking ]ever adapte-d to engage said bolt to hold the latter retracted, Said looking ]ever and Said bolt being movable in a general direction at right angles to the direction in Which the closure moves when being opened or closed, said. ]ever projecting beyond the Outer end of the latch in the direction of the keeper, and means on the bolt for holding the ]ever released from the bolt when the latter is projected into the keeper, whereby the b olt may be frcely retracted without manipulation of-said lever, said vinclined eX- ernal side face of the keeper acting as a fixed oblique guiding face engaged by the free end of the looking ]ever for automatioally releasing the latter from the bolt when the closure is shut, said bolt being pivoted for swinging movement and having the side face of its keeper-engaging portion beveled to form a wedge tapering smaller in the direction in Which the bolt moves to engage the keeper.` said keeper having an internal side face inclined in the latter direction and cooperating with the beveled side face of the bolt to wedge the closure in the direction of its closing movement for preventing rattling of the latter when shut, said keeper comprising a strip of meta] with its intermediate portions of angular form longitudinally to provide said inclined external and internal face-s and having its ends formed for reception of fastening means whereby the strip may be seoured to a side of the jamb of the closure with said ends fiatly engaging said jamb and with the intermediate portion in spaced relation to the latter.

4. In a closure latch, a keeper, a bolt projectable into engagement with Said keeper, said bolt being pivoted for swinging movement and having the side face of its keeper engaging portion beveled to form a wedge 'tapering Smaller in 'the direction in which the bolt moves to engage the keeper, said keeper having an internal side face-inclined in the latter direction and cooperating with the beveled side face of the bolt to wedge the closure in the direction of its closing movement for preventing rattling of the lat' ter when shut.

5. An automatic closure latch including a spring projected bolt a keeper embodying a fixed side member having an inclined eX- ternal side face, Said keeper further having an open inner end into which said bolt is adapted to be projected when the closure is shut, manually operable means for retract ing said bolt from said keeper, a spring aotuated looking ]ever adapted to engage Said bolt to hold the latter retracted` said looking ]ever and said bolt being movable in a general direction at right angles to the direction in which the closure inoves when being opened or closed, said ]ever projeoting heyond the outer end of the latter in the direction of the keeper, and means on the bolt for holding the ]ever released from the bolt when the latter is projected into the keeper, whereby the bolt may be' freely retracted without manipulation of said lever, said inclined eX- terna-l side face of the keeper aoting as a 

